Out of the Box

Archives Featured in Oakwood Register

Posted on July 13, 2023 by Lisa Rickey

Extra! Extra! We were featured in the Oakwood Register newspaper on July 5 with an article about our Louis Lott architecture photos.

The article, “Wright State archive preserves architectural images of early Oakwood, Dayton : Archivists hope to identify homes photographed by prominent local architect,” focuses on the Louis Lott Architecture Negatives Collection (SC-381). Over 200 images from the collection are available online in CORE Scholar.

Check out the Oakwood Register article here (see page 8).

Thanks to the article, we have already had multiple readers contact us to provide identifications to some of the previously unidentified homes featured in the online gallery.

If you have additional information about any of the photographs, the best way to share that with us via email at [email protected], and be sure to include the item identifier number (e.g., sc381_01_04_03) or URL (e.g., https://corescholar.libraries.wright.edu/special_sc381_photographs/25/) for the particular image.

If you are interested in seeing the records that have been recently updated based on additional information submitted by users, search the collection for the word thanks (or click this link).

Posted in SC&A | Tagged CORE Scholar, digital collections, news, photographs, SC-381 | Comments Off

Grant Conserves Rare Books by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Posted on June 28, 2023 by specialcollections

We are pleased to share that 11 of our rare, first-edition books by Paul Laurence Dunbar can now be more safely viewed and studied after undergoing conservation treatment. Nine books of poetry and two books of short stories, all inscribed by Dunbar – a prolific writer from Dayton who died at the age of 33 in 1906 – were conserved. The conservation project was supported by a Library Services and Technology Act Conservation grant from the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services, awarded by the State Library of Ohio.

For more details, please see the Wright State News Room article “Wright State Special Collections and Archives conserves rare books by Paul Laurence Dunbar” (by Bob Mihalek, June 28, 2023).

You may also be interested in our earlier post about this project.

Learn more about our Paul Laurence Dunbar collections. Please contact us if you have questions!

Archivist Toni Vanden Bos applies her always-gentle touch to one of the freshly conserved Dunbar books. Toni was instrumental in securing and facilitating the grant funding that made the conservation work possible. (Photo courtesy WSU News Room)

This project was supported by federal Institute of Museum and Library Services funds, granted through the State Library of Ohio. The opinions expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of IMLS or the State Library of Ohio, and no official endorsement by either agency should be inferred. We sincerely thank the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), and the State Library of Ohio for making this project possible through the LSTA Conservation grant.

Posted in SC&A | Tagged conservation, conservation treatment, grant, IMLS, LSTA Grant, news, Paul Laurence Dunbar, State Library of Ohio | Comments Off

A Visit from the Base Commander, WPAFB

Posted on June 6, 2023 by Lisa Rickey

We were thrilled to host Col. Christopher Meeker, commander of the 88th Air Base Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, for a tour of our world-famous Wright Brothers Collection today, along with Wright State University President Sue Edwards, Chief Operating Officer Greg Sample, and several others.

It was a joy to share the stories, photos, and documents of the Wright Brothers and the Wright family, and to experience Col. Meeker’s enthusiasm and excitement!

Jane Wildermuth, left, Head of Special Collections & Archives, shares one of Orville Wright’s ID cards with the group, as Col. Meeker looks on smiling.

The impetus for the visit involves renovation projects underway at WPAFB and the desire to incorporate décor and design features that harken back to the early days of aviation and the first successful airplane — and by logical extension, of course, the men behind the machine: Wilbur and Orville Wright.

As so often happens when we meet new friends with whom we have shared interests, we have already started thinking of new ideas for collaboration and ways to grow and strengthen this relationship. We look forward to working with Col. Meeker and the 88th Air Base Wing at WPAFB in the future!

Additional photos from today’s visit can be viewed in the gallery below. Click on an image to enlarge it: